The JBL Charge combines an auxiliary battery with an amplifier and speaker in a package about the size of an oversize soda can.
The Charge has two standout features. One is its battery life, the other is its volume level.
The JBL Charge can play music and charge other devices.Inside the Charge is a rechargeable 6000 milliamp-hour (mAh) lithium-ion battery. Milliamp-hours are a measure of how much energy a battery can hold. Many smartphones have a 1400 mAh battery. By that measure, the Charge could refill a phone battery almost four times.
That battery gives the Charge the capacity to play music for 12 hours at a time, according to the manufacturer, Harmon International Industries. At that rate, it would outlast the phone or tablet that it is connected to.
In a test, it connected to a phone easily using Bluetooth. The Charge also has a 3.5 mm jack for a wired connection, which slows the battery drain from the device providing the music.
Behind the grille are two speakers, and at one end is a bass port to improve reproduction of deeper tones. The Charge certainly produces a lot of volume for a 6-inch-tall music dock, but it isn’t exactly high fidelity. Thanks to the bass port, there is a little trick to improving the sound: Point the port into a container (I used a partially empty shelf) and it acts as a chamber to further increase the low tones. An empty cooler would probably work just as well.
The Charge is available in black, green, and blue for $150 through JBL.com.
